Shillong, Nov 25: St. Mary’s College will conclude its year long Platinum Jubilee Celebration (2012-2013) on the 30th of this month with a Grand Finale programme to be held at the College. The Honourable Governor of Meghalaya, Dr. K. K Paul, will grace the occasion as the Chief Guest.
The theme of the Platinum Jubilee Celebration is “Celebrating the Roots of Tradition, While Moving Towards a New Dawn.” The Grand Finale will mark the end of a year long celebration which included various programmes organized by the College such as the Inter College Singing Competition, Inter College Basketball Competition, Inter College Debate Competition, Inter College Quiz Competition, Half Marathon, National Seminar, Youth Development Seminar and many others.
Saint Mary’s College is a premier institution of higher education run by the sisters of Our lady of the Missions or RNDM (Religieux Notre Dame des Missions, an international religious congregation). In 1936, a team of dedicated educationists Mother M. St. Eusebius Ryder, Mother M. Catherine Bologna, Mother M. St. Munich and Mother M. St. Candide, were commissioned to carry out the groundwork and establish the college.
Following their efforts and dedication, St. Mary’s College was established at Shillong in 1937. The roles and objectives of the college were documented and registered as the Memorandum of Association of the Congregation under Act XXI of 1860 in July 1973, which were adopted by the councils of the management of the college. The motto of the college “Virtue and Knowledge” focuses on quality education, competence and skills in various spheres of life so as to inculcate good humane values of peace, love, justice and unity.
From the period of its establishment, the College has grown in leaps and bounds in terms of student enrollment as well as development and progress of its academic functioning. St. Mary’s College has been accredited ‘A’ grade by national Accreditation and sssessment Council (NAAC) of India in 2005 and 2011. The Department of Bio-Technology, (DBT), Government of India has recognized the exceptional performance of the college and has granted St. Mary’s College with the ‘Star College’ status.
Apart from Class XI-XII Arts and Science, St. Mary’s College offers four full fledged Degree courses namely Bachelor of Arts (Pass and Honours), Bachelor of Computer Applications, Bachelor of Science (Pass and Honours) including Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Bachelor of Science in Home Science and Bachelor of Commerce (Pass and Honours). There are more than 4000 students in day and morning shifts attending the various courses in the college.
The faculty of the college is constituted of both UGC sanctioned posts and management posts. The College also invites guest lecturers to teach certain sections of professional subjects. The faculty of the college, apart from executing their teaching duties also undertake Minor and major Research projects funded by UGC and other agencies. A good number of faculty members of the college are also pursuing PhDs at various Universities in the country. The college has also developed a regular practice of holding both National and Regional Seminars and Workshops. These provide an important space for academicians, activists, research scholars and experts to meet, interact and develop their thoughts and ideas.
St. Mary’s College has a good record of academic performance by its students. The pass percentage of students of St. Mary’s College in the Final Degree Examinations conducted by NEHU is quite high, on an average of above 90% per year. The students of the college have brought laurels to the college by securing University Ranks and have also been awarded Best Art and Best Science Graduates (Gold Medalist) at the University Examinations. The students of the college also enroll themselves in the many co- curricular youth movements of the country which have a branch in the college namely NSS, NCC, Rangers and Youth Red Cross.
The co- curricular activities of the college cover a wide base of activities ranging from sports and games (basketball and badminton) to literary activities (quiz, debate, poetry and essay writing) , cultural activities (singing and dancing) to social service and community development activities (blood donation, cleaning drives and awareness drives) . The students of the college also participate in various Excursions and Field Trips organized by the college so that they can develop a better understanding and practical based approach of the theoretical concepts taught in their respective subjects. The Alumni of the College are well placed members of society who contribute to the community within the state, the country as well as abroad.
Several Departments of the college regularly publish Bulletins and Documentation of their various academic activities conducted by them. Faculty members of the college actively participate in and attend International, National and Regional seminars both as paper presenters and as resource persons. Students of the college have also participated in as well as presented papers at various regional seminars.
The College has future plans to launch the Community College Scheme with an objective to provide parallel education on vocations which would enable the beneficiaries to be absorbed instantly in jobs while studying.(SP News)
